GCC “kindness buckets,” filled with bookmarks celebrate Week of The Young Child

Groton Community School celebrated Week of the Young Child with a special activity to honor teacher Jennie Fitzkee’s 30th anniversary of teaching at the school — the school collected 495 books and $292 for underprivileged children, families, and schools in West Virginia. Fitzkee will hand-deliver the donations to “Read Aloud West Virginia” this week.

The Week of the Young Child is celebrated each April across the country with the purpose of recognizing the importance of a high-quality education for young children and honoring all those who make a difference in children’s lives.

“The experiences a young child has are vital to shaping their foundation for learning and development for future success,” Linda Kosinski, Director of Groton Community School, said. “We are proud to offer a nurturing and stimulating environment at Groton Community School and excited that this year’s activities align with our overall theme for the year, which is “Lively Literacy.”

An annual Week of the Young Child tradition at GCS is “filling buckets” by being thoughtful and caring for community members. This year GCS children created colorful bookmarks that were distributed in “kindness buckets” at the Groton Public Library and other local libraries throughout our community, as well as Second Hand Prose on Hollis Street and Pediatrics West on Main Street, both in Groton.

In addition to special classroom happenings, all classes came together for the annual “Peace Picnics” by the school’s peace pole. Children and their families were also invited to enjoy a schoolwide storytelling program by Big Ryan’s Tall Tales.
Groton Community School. To honor her commitment to young children and literacy, the school is collecting new and very gently used books to donate to “Read Aloud West Virginia,” which supports underprivileged children and families. A native of West Virginia, Ms. Fitzkee continues to share her passion and love for reading as a means to promote early literacy and foster creativity in young children.

“The fundamental constant that gives children the tools to succeed in school is language,” Fitzkee said. “The more words that children hear, the better they will do in school. Reading aloud to children is far more than an enjoyable experience. It increases their language development! Therefore, I will always campaign to read aloud.”

Fitzkee’s joy for early literacy can be experienced in the community firsthand at the Groton Public Library. “Chapter Book Read Aloud with Jennie,” a weekly drop-in program for children in kindergarten through second grade, is offered every Tuesday at 4 p.m. in the Community Room.